I think the longer you have the rub or marinade on the meat and skin the better. I have had roasted pig from the la caja with mojo and without. I think the decision on the type of injection depends on how fresh the pig is. If you are getting from the farm, you can go light on the seasoning and just enjoy roasted pork flavor. But you gotta add some seasoning since you are going to get no smoke (I am assuming here). My only other suggestion is to re-salt the skin at the flip.

I injected the pig the day before. I put some rub on the evening before and more the morning of the roast.

I do not remove the ash everytime I add coals. That would really ramp up the tempature of the box. I remove the ash twice in the roasting process. There is defintely some "charring" to the bone-side of the roast but I have not had burnt. I am assuming when you say burnt, you mean black crumbling, inedible meat. Not just surface dark/black spots.

How big was the pig? What did you use for rub and injection? Did you have a wired thermometer in the ham?

I am not sure if the competition charcoal burns hotter. I buy and use the standard kingsford charcoal.

I just did an 80lb pig a couple of weeks ago. We finished an hour an half before serving. We tented it with foil and then a blanket over that. It was extremely hot 1.5 sittin on top of table. You could probably get away with letting it sit in the box with the coals turned to the side.

If you are going to pull the meat early, save the dippings. Heat the drippings up with what ever seasoning/sauce, get it to a boil and add it to the pulled meat just before serving. This will heat the meat up and add mostiure.

I think you will really enjoy the LCC, expecially if you entertain people often. Like it was menioned above, I have cooked pigs (whole, ribs (spare and BB), butts, etc), chickens, turkey. I would love to do a whole lamb but not enough people in my family enjoy the meat.

That is AWESOME! I bought mine new and I feel like it is worth. From a garage salw is fantastic. Have you fired it up yet? I have the #2 roasting box, currently planning a summer party and I am going to roast a 70/80lb pig for it.

I am not sure if Colony Grill is as good as it use to be, but the orignal in Stamford was tasty. They have one size and the crust is interesting. The hot oil and stingers is spicy. If you add hot oil, they pour on spicy olive oil before serving.

I really like Ficara's. Great little family owned place. But a huge word of warning, it is slow. Be prepared for a long drawn out meal. A must app is the Mozzarella in Carrozza, it's like a pie of fried cheese and sauce.

Isn't is just semantics? I thought North American Bison were pretty much eliminated and European Bison were introducted to rebuild the herds. That aside, I love buffalo/bison meat. It is very easy to over cook because of the low fat content. Favorite burget to make is buffalo plus either beef fat or some ground pork (like a three to one ratio); grilled to med-rare, add a sharp smoked cheddar. Lovely.

I agree with the Modern Italilan Bakery in Hartford for all things Italian (Mozzicato's for Cakes and Cookies), followed by Neil's in Wallingford, make a quick stop in hamden to get donuts from Whitney Donut (to compare to Neil's) and Bread and Chocolate, then ending at Marolaine's in New Haven (French Pastry), and Lucibello's in New Haven. http://www.marjolainepastry.com/

I am just returning from a nice visit to FL and while there ate at Billie's Burger which is strangely located inside Spessard Holland beach area. Great sandwiches, fries, and service. This is a take out place on the beach, nothing fancy. Wooden picnic benches and umbrellas. The food was reasonably priced. Bread was made in house. Fries were cooked when ordered. Plus, free WiFi.

I was in Whole Foods Glastonbury yesterday and noticed that they had whole wild caught shrimp with the heds on. They looked good. I would say they were a nice large shrimp. Sorry, I cannot remember the whole per pound cost, but I want to say $12 or something in that range.

Any luck? #1 FishMarket has them from time to time. You may want to try the Asian market in New Haven on Orange St by Nica and Miso. They will have shrimp on occasian. I would recommend the Hong Kong market on whitney in New haven, but I dislike them. But they have a nice selection.

I am really REALLY late to this thread. But I love the Breakfast Nook. I have been there with the wife a couple of times. Townhouse is decent. If you are headed to New Haven what about the Pantry on State St.

I agree with EastRocker. It has some great items, but there is a bit of sticker shock. J-Mart is a great asian market. My suggestion is when you are eating at Skappo ask if the item is avaliable in the market, then go get that one item